“It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future...”

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Elizabeth Hayward's Notebook

Elizabeth Ann Pugsley Hayward left a notebook detailing the vital information for all her children: birth dates, LDS ordinances, the death dates of the six children who died as children, and the marriage information for the three children who survived. I have transcribed the text from a photocopy and added pictures, most of them provided by cousin Emily.

Henry John Hayward (1852-1927) and Elizabeth Ann Pugsley Hayward (1854-1942) with two of their children.

Henry Gammon Hayward

Son of Henry J and Elizabeth A Hayward

Born October 16th 1876

Blessed by T McKean December 7th 1876

Died December 23rd 1879 Aged 3 years 2 months and 7 days

Our first born his Fathers image his mothers pride and joy

Emily Inez Hayward

Daughter of Henry J and Elizabeth A Hayward

Born February 11th 1878

Blessed by T McKean April 4th 1878

Died December 18th 1879 Aged 1 year 10 months and 6 days

Our first girl

Elizabeth Hayward with Philip Pugsley Hayward (1880-1891). Picture taken in San Francisco.

As has been mentioned on this blog before, the reason why they had such strange haircuts was because someone told Elizabeth the old wives' tail that long hair drained the strength and was a reason her girls were getting sick. Here's an example of that superstition from The Magazine of Domestic Economy (1839):

Girls under twelve years of age should not be allowed to wear long hair, the premature growth of which before the strength of body is developed, tends, with other causes, to impair the constitution, and consequently is detrimental to the future growth of the hair (books.google.com/books?id=vjtOAAAAYAAJ)

Most of the six children died from diphtheria, a disease we don't need to worry about any more due to childhood immunizations. (Henry Gammon, Emily Inez, Philip, Sidney, as well as Elizabeth's brother Albert, whom she had raised and who died at the same time her first two children did.) Martha died from cholera infantum, usually caused by contaminated milk, and Merle died from typhoid fever.

I see that Merle's death certificate was signed by Dr. A. C. Ewing. I see the Ewings listed in some of the newspaper articles the Haywards were mentioned in, so that family must be the source of John's middle name.

Have you noticed the necklaces the girls are wearing in the photo? I know they were usually red beads and were worn by children to ward off illness. I can understand why their mother made them wear the necklaces.

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It's always wonderful to hear from relatives and friends, close or distant. This blog is an ongoing collaborative project, so if you have questions, memories or reminiscences, corrections, requests to use material, or additional pictures, documents, or histories to share, please leave a comment. We can't always see contact information in comments, so you can also contact Amy at amy ancestor files (that's all one word) at gmail dot com.

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It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look on the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect on the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. —Gordon B. Hinckley...